JANET STERLING SILVER DESIGN

the history of janetjewelry.com
For the "brief" history, click here!

I've filled in as much as I could remember off the top of my head; I'll be filling in the blanks as soon as I remember the actual dates! Skip a few paragraphs if you want cliffnotes on the actual "business" end!

High School, 1985?--I took two semesters of silversmithing at Punahou High School in Honolulu. My teacher, Mr. Jenkins, was an excellent instructor, in that he didn't just teach techniques of jewelry making, but the theory behind why the techniques work. I was in the jewlery lab every chance I had, and it was one of the few things that I could really concentrate on for hours and not get tired of it. I had a bracelet design that even Mr. Jenkins thought was too difficult, and it took me 3 months, but I did it! I keep it at the studio to remind me that if I really believe in a design, even though others might find it a waste of time, it's an incredible feeling to accomplish something most people wouldn't bother doing. And the great thing about jewelry, is that you can enjoy it all the time on a personal level; it's not something you frame and admire from afar. In any case, I learned everything from the basics, to repousse, casting, and gem setting while in high school, and even though I took a few refresher classes later in life at Parsons, I learned more back in high school, I think. Thanks Mr. Jenkins!

Undergraduate Studies through Graduate School, 1989-1996--I went to a hardcore college prep high school, where kids are really pushed to become doctors, lawyers, business owners or teachers. Alums who are rewarded and applauded are usually the ones who "succeed" in the first three, and they come back, donate a lot of money, and have a building named after them, i.e. the new Steve Case (of AOL) Building. I knew I lacked the discipline to do the first two, so I got into and enrolled in Santa Clara University School of Business, but discovered after 2 years that even though I could do it, I really disliked Economics, Finance, Calculus, etc. I took History and Creative Writing as my electives, and I loved both so much, but I really didn't know how I could make a living out of either, except to become a teacher. I transfered into the History Department anyway at the end of my second year, and overloaded on classes to finish on time. SCU's Art Department was totally small, and didn't offer jewelry, so I settled on Oil Painting. I LOVED oil painting, and became more conscious about form, color, and trying to develop my own style. It's an expensive hobby, though. I mean, how many things can one put on a wall?

Summer 1996--After a year and a half of teaching junior high, I moved to New York to attend New York University Graduate School of Arts and Science, still focused on becoming a teacher. I had a chance encounter with Rick Parker, who was illustrating Beavis & Butthead for Marvel Comics at the time, who convinced me that we spend so much of our adult lives working, is it worth it if you don't absolutely LOVE what you're doing? He asked me what I do in my spare time when I'm not focused on trying to become something I think I SHOULD be; what do I really love doing. He said that I should focus on how I could make THAT my vocation, even if I have to wait tables or something else in order to make it work. I think the other thing that really inspired me, is that my sister, also a designer, lived in NYC for over 10 years before I moved here, and she introduced me to so many other women artists/designers, who were doing what they loved, and they all owned their own businesses.

June 1997--I received my MA from NYU in something completely unrelated.

Oct 1997--my sister's friend, a designer, said there's a store in LA she really likes and she thinks they'd like my jewelry; would I want her to take some samples. "The worst anyone can say is 'no'," is what my dad tells us all the time.

Dec 1997--"The New Stone Age" in LA (near the Beverly Center) is the first store to sell my Super Duper Candy Bracelets--at $150 a pop! Imagine that! Somebody actually bought my jewelry in a store! Hmmmm....

Aug 1998--I register Janet Sterling Silver Design as an official business, New York City, and secured "www.janetjewelry.com" as my domain name. I set up a workshop in my living room(!), bought a fax machine, and voila! The first janetjewelry office!

Oct 1998--my then boyfriend (now husband) helps me design my first and only catalog! Thanks also to Britt for the photography! We also put up a website, but I didn't have an online store: it's just a site where you have to download the order form, fill it in, and phone/fax in your order. I know, sounds archaic, but the internet thing is still new to me, and the secure online store was way too expensive for me at the time with the orignial internet service provider that I had. They had so many limitations, and charged me for every little, single, thing. There must be a better system....

March 1999 through May 2000--I sold my jewelry at the Towers Market on Broadway & 4th Street in Downtown Manhattan every Saturday and Sunday in order to get the word out, since my website wasn't generating enough! It was a really good learning experience and I met a lot of my current Regulars there, but it wasn't how I wanted to spend my weekends.... It's really hard to compete with the mass produced jewelry vendors when there are some customers who can't tell the difference between something handmade vs. something mass produced.

March 2000--Meredith Vieira wears my Postmodern Candy Necklace on ABC's "The View!"

May 2000 through Oct 2000--I finally invest in getting a secure online store through my crappy (yet well known) internet service provider, but it's just not working out well. They have a "difficult to navigate" shopping cart system that I have to follow, which I really disliked. Customers find it hard to use, too. There must be a better system....

June 2000--On the way to grocery shop, I see a large "For Rent" sign! I live in a one bedroom apartment, and my work was taking up half the living room, and I drooled over the thought of having a separate work space, and so close to home, too! I looked at the space, which was a great deal for what it was (it was a total fixer-upper, but I'm a Home Depot kind of girl!), but it was too big for what I needed and I couldn't afford it anyway. The next day, a photographer calls my husband and says, "I'm getting married; I'm moving in with my fiance, but she won't let me bring my photo equipment; do you know anyone looking for an artist space to share?" We meet the next day, he says, "Let's take it; I'll pay half." Woo-Hoo! I sign the lease for the space at 236 W 15th Street, and convert the back half as my workshop studio.

Oct 2000--The internet service provider I've had for 2 years, who provided nothing but grief, tries to rip me off by charging me and tying me into another 6 month contract in the middle of my first 6 month contract (for their incredibly overpriced, crappy shopping cart/online store system, and my site was down so often!). Rather than just thinking to myself that there has to be a better system, I look online for online shopping stores that I DO like, take notes on what I like or don't like, and call everyone I know who has an online store, get referrals, and look into other internet service providers. I buy Visual QuickStart books on HTML and Photoshop, teach myself as much as I could about online stores, shopping cart systems, and I decide to go with a new internet service provider, Tierranet. If you're thinking about setting up an online store, I highly recommend tierranet.com, and if you do decide to go with them, please write me down as your referral! It's amazing how much a different internet service provider can do for you--my sales more than double with my new website, and because I'm not limited to a "set system," it's fun to come up with new web designs along with new jewelry!

Feb 2001--janetjewelry.com gets a huge (literally! 1/4 page!) write up in the New York Daily News in their "Net Values" section!

March 2001--my sublet moves to LA, so I have the front half open and I wonder what I should do with it! Sublet again? Simultaneously, several regular customers call and ask me if they could drop by and pick up their orders since they're in the area. Hmmm.....idea?

July 2001--Oxygen Network's "SheCommerce" TV show about internet finds features my Girl Tag Necklace!

Aug 2001--janetjewelry in Stuff Magazine! The girls of the Powder Room wear janetjewelry!

Aug 2001--my first TV appearance! Oxygen Network's SheCommerce likes my jewelry enough to invite me as a guest!

Sept 11, 2001--I flew back to NYC through Newark this morning at 7am. Got into Manhattan at 8am. The rest is on my fundraiser page. I couldn't get myself to work for a few weeks.

Oct 2001--"American" Spirit Necklace Fundraiser; we are able to raise $10,000 for the New York FireFighters Association's Widows & Children's Fund

Nov 2001--janetjewelry.com gets a write up in the New York Times, and that article is reprinted in the London Herald Tribune!

Feb 2002--First JanetJewelry store opens at 236 W. 15th Street, East Store!

more to come.... I've fallen behind....

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Copyright © Janet Sterling Silver Design, 2001. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

				the history of janetjewelry.com For the "brief" history, click here! I've filled in as much as I could remember off the top of my head; I'll be filling in the blanks as soon as I remember the actual dates! Skip a few paragraphs if you want cliffnotes on the actual "business" end! High School, 1985?--I took two semesters of silversmithing at Punahou High School in Honolulu. My teacher, Mr. Jenkins, was an excellent instructor, in that he didn't just teach techniques of jewelry making, but the theory behind why the techniques work. I was in the jewlery lab every chance I had, and it was one of the few things that I could really concentrate on for hours and not get tired of it. I had a bracelet design that even Mr. Jenkins thought was too difficult, and it took me 3 months, but I did it! I keep it at the studio to remind me that if I really believe in a design, even though others might find it a waste of time, it's an incredible feeling to accomplish something most people wouldn't bother doing. And the great thing about jewelry, is that you can enjoy it all the time on a personal level; it's not something you frame and admire from afar. In any case, I learned everything from the basics, to repousse, casting, and gem setting while in high school, and even though I took a few refresher classes later in life at Parsons, I learned more back in high school, I think. Thanks Mr. Jenkins! Undergraduate Studies through Graduate School, 1989-1996--I went to a hardcore college prep high school, where kids are really pushed to become doctors, lawyers, business owners or teachers. Alums who are rewarded and applauded are usually the ones who "succeed" in the first three, and they come back, donate a lot of money, and have a building named after them, i.e. the new Steve Case (of AOL) Building. I knew I lacked the discipline to do the first two, so I got into and enrolled in Santa Clara University School of Business, but discovered after 2 years that even though I could do it, I really disliked Economics, Finance, Calculus, etc. I took History and Creative Writing as my electives, and I loved both so much, but I really didn't know how I could make a living out of either, except to become a teacher. I transfered into the History Department anyway at the end of my second year, and overloaded on classes to finish on time. SCU's Art Department was totally small, and didn't offer jewelry, so I settled on Oil Painting. I LOVED oil painting, and became more conscious about form, color, and trying to develop my own style. It's an expensive hobby, though. I mean, how many things can one put on a wall? Summer 1996--After a year and a half of teaching junior high, I moved to New York to attend New York University Graduate School of Arts and Science, still focused on becoming a teacher. I had a chance encounter with Rick Parker, who was illustrating Beavis & Butthead for Marvel Comics at the time, who convinced me that we spend so much of our adult lives working, is it worth it if you don't absolutely LOVE what you're doing? He asked me what I do in my spare time when I'm not focused on trying to become something I think I SHOULD be; what do I really love doing. He said that I should focus on how I could make THAT my vocation, even if I have to wait tables or something else in order to make it work. I think the other thing that really inspired me, is that my sister, also a designer, lived in NYC for over 10 years before I moved here, and she introduced me to so many other women artists/designers, who were doing what they loved, and they all owned their own businesses. June 1997--I received my MA from NYU in something completely unrelated. Oct 1997--my sister's friend, a designer, said there's a store in LA she really likes and she thinks they'd like my jewelry; would I want her to take some samples. "The worst anyone can say is 'no'," is what my dad tells us all the time. Dec 1997--"The New Stone Age" in LA (near the Beverly Center) is the first store to sell my Super Duper Candy Bracelets--at $150 a pop! Imagine that! Somebody actually bought my jewelry in a store! Hmmmm.... Aug 1998--I register Janet Sterling Silver Design as an official business, New York City, and secured "www.janetjewelry.com" as my domain name. I set up a workshop in my living room(!), bought a fax machine, and voila! The first janetjewelry office! Oct 1998--my then boyfriend (now husband) helps me design my first and only catalog! Thanks also to Britt for the photography! We also put up a website, but I didn't have an online store: it's just a site where you have to download the order form, fill it in, and phone/fax in your order. I know, sounds archaic, but the internet thing is still new to me, and the secure online store was way too expensive for me at the time with the orignial internet service provider that I had. They had so many limitations, and charged me for every little, single, thing. There must be a better system.... March 1999 through May 2000--I sold my jewelry at the Towers Market on Broadway & 4th Street in Downtown Manhattan every Saturday and Sunday in order to get the word out, since my website wasn't generating enough! It was a really good learning experience and I met a lot of my current Regulars there, but it wasn't how I wanted to spend my weekends.... It's really hard to compete with the mass produced jewelry vendors when there are some customers who can't tell the difference between something handmade vs. something mass produced. March 2000--Meredith Vieira wears my Postmodern Candy Necklace on ABC's "The View!" May 2000 through Oct 2000--I finally invest in getting a secure online store through my crappy (yet well known) internet service provider, but it's just not working out well. They have a "difficult to navigate" shopping cart system that I have to follow, which I really disliked. Customers find it hard to use, too. There must be a better system.... June 2000--On the way to grocery shop, I see a large "For Rent" sign! I live in a one bedroom apartment, and my work was taking up half the living room, and I drooled over the thought of having a separate work space, and so close to home, too! I looked at the space, which was a great deal for what it was (it was a total fixer-upper, but I'm a Home Depot kind of girl!), but it was too big for what I needed and I couldn't afford it anyway. The next day, a photographer calls my husband and says, "I'm getting married; I'm moving in with my fiance, but she won't let me bring my photo equipment; do you know anyone looking for an artist space to share?" We meet the next day, he says, "Let's take it; I'll pay half." Woo-Hoo! I sign the lease for the space at 236 W 15th Street, and convert the back half as my workshop studio. Oct 2000--The internet service provider I've had for 2 years, who provided nothing but grief, tries to rip me off by charging me and tying me into another 6 month contract in the middle of my first 6 month contract (for their incredibly overpriced, crappy shopping cart/online store system, and my site was down so often!). Rather than just thinking to myself that there has to be a better system, I look online for online shopping stores that I DO like, take notes on what I like or don't like, and call everyone I know who has an online store, get referrals, and look into other internet service providers. I buy Visual QuickStart books on HTML and Photoshop, teach myself as much as I could about online stores, shopping cart systems, and I decide to go with a new internet service provider, Tierranet. If you're thinking about setting up an online store, I highly recommend tierranet.com, and if you do decide to go with them, please write me down as your referral! It's amazing how much a different internet service provider can do for you--my sales more than double with my new website, and because I'm not limited to a "set system," it's fun to come up with new web designs along with new jewelry! Feb 2001--janetjewelry.com gets a huge (literally! 1/4 page!) write up in the New York Daily News in their "Net Values" section! March 2001--my sublet moves to LA, so I have the front half open and I wonder what I should do with it! Sublet again? Simultaneously, several regular customers call and ask me if they could drop by and pick up their orders since they're in the area. Hmmm.....idea? July 2001--Oxygen Network's "SheCommerce" TV show about internet finds features my Girl Tag Necklace! Aug 2001--janetjewelry in Stuff Magazine! The girls of the Powder Room wear janetjewelry! Aug 2001--my first TV appearance! Oxygen Network's SheCommerce likes my jewelry enough to invite me as a guest! Sept 11, 2001--I flew back to NYC through Newark this morning at 7am. Got into Manhattan at 8am. The rest is on my fundraiser page. I couldn't get myself to work for a few weeks. Oct 2001--"American" Spirit Necklace Fundraiser; we are able to raise $10,000 for the New York FireFighters Association's Widows & Children's Fund Nov 2001--janetjewelry.com gets a write up in the New York Times, and that article is reprinted in the London Herald Tribune! Feb 2002--First JanetJewelry store opens at 236 W. 15th Street, East Store! more to come.... I've fallen behind....
Home \| About Us \| Testimonials \| Ads & Press \| FAQs \| Return & Exchange Policy \| Contact \| Privacy Policy Copyright © Janet Sterling Silver Design, 2001. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.